Stay Beautiful
by ForbiddenEmotion
Summary: If Derek and Casey are a story that never gets told, if what love is, is a daydream that neither one will ever get to hold then why can't they just accept that? I am not very good at summaries so please just read and review! DASEY!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **_This is my first fanfic ever!! Please go easy on me!! It was inspired by two of my favorite Taylor Swift songs: The Outside and of course Stay beautiful. Enjoy!! I would also like to take the time to dedicate this to Inulover4eva!! Thanks so much you ROCK!! _

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own LIfe With Derek, even though I wish I did!! _

**Stay Beautiful**

Casey ran upstairs in a mad dash, trying to retreat from the kitchen that was now a laughing stock. It was normal for Edwin to laugh, maybe even Marti, but the rest of her family? And her former boyfriend? It wasn't like it was all that funny anyways it was hurtful and rude. But then again, it was Derek who said it, and his insults always hurt her more than they should. That insensitive jerk of a stepbrother had managed to do it again. He knew just about everyway to make her life miserable and it pained her to no end to know that she had no way of effectively retaliating.

As Casey reached her door she stopped to hear her mother almost choke to stop laughing and warn Derek to knock it off and to just go apologize. Casey snorted in disgust, already knowing the answer.

"_Me_? Apologize to _Casey_? For what? Being honest?" Came Derek's annoying reply.

"No, for being rude and totally inconsiderate to your sister. Go upstairs right now and apologize, and mean it, Derek Venturi." George was being completely serious by now, Casey could tell by his tone of voice. But, as usual, Derek just shrugged it off in his cold, uncaring nature and went back to eating.

Casey could've walked right back down there and slap, no _punch, _Derek right in his mouth just for being alive. Instead she stormed into her room, slamming the door behind her, and collapsed onto her bed. She buried her face into her pillow and clutched at her blanket. Her lower lip quivered and the tears she had been holding back threatened to spill over. His words still echoing in her head…

_"Oh PLEASE! Who would want to take Klutzilla to the prom? You can't even stand still without falling, do you honestly think someone would put their life in danger by dancing with you?"_

_With those words said, the whole table let out a laugh, not an uproar of laughter, but they all laughed just the same._

Not really wanting to admit it, that had really hurt Casey. Her whole life she had felt like her family didn't really pay attention to her or even care, and now that she was forced to live in the Venturi household, those feelings just increased. Stifling a sob, she rolled over on to her side with her back to the doorway to gaze out the window.

Silent tears rolled of her cheeks onto her pillow and not once did she even wipe them away. Casey just laid there motionless, willing not to let anger get the best of her and run back down there and strangle Derek.

Did he even have a clue how much he hurt her? Not just tonight, but every day of her life? Casey cringed, probably not. Even if he did, it wasn't like he cared. She finally concluded that was what had truly hurt her worst of all, the fact that Derek really didn't give a damn about her or her petty girl feelings as he liked to call them. He hated her like she was _suppose_ to be hating him.

She pulled her pillow tighter to her chest as new tears began to fill her eyes. She cried her heart out until she finally fell into a restless sleep.

* * *

Derek made his way up the stairs shortly after Sam left. He paused before entering his room and turned to Casey's closed door. No sounds could be heard and he wondered if he should actually go apologize to his stepsister. Derek winced at the thought and began wondering when the hell he had developed a conscience. He could just imagine Jiminy Cricket popping up on his shoulder, and cheerfully announcing that he should just let his conscience be his guide. Derek let out a shudder of disgust and slipped into his bedroom. 

He hadn't really meant to hurt her feelings that bad. In fact he had just wanted to get a rise out of her. God knows how fun it was to see her huff in anger and stomp off in that prissy little way of hers. He lazily fell onto his bed and grabbed the remote to his stereo.

As he was flipping through radio stations, a song and it's lyrics seemed to snag him. It was the song that Casey had always blasted annoyingly when riding in the car.

**I didn't know what I would find  
When I went looking for a reason, I know  
I didn't read between the lines  
And, baby, I've got nowhere to go  
I tried to take the road less traveled by  
But nothing seems to work the first few times  
Am I right?  
**

Derek sat up a little and tried to listen to the song a little more intently….

**So how can I ever try to be better?  
Nobody ever lets me in  
I can still see you, this ain't the best view  
On the outside looking in  
I've been a lot of places  
I've never been on the outside**

He let the words sink in and it suddenly reminded him of Casey at dinner. How her eyes filled immediately with tears, how she yelled at him through gritted teeth about how such a jerk he was, and how she fled the scene to cry in the comfort of her room. He also thought about how terrifying it must have truly been to be thrust into a new home and immediately be taunted by a complete egotistical stranger, that stranger being Derek. He couldn't even see that he had forced her to become an outsider. She had always been so strong and so ready to fight back at every low blow he sent her way. So why was she being so overly sensitive now? And why was he feeling so guilty? 

You saw me there, but never knew  
I would give it all up to be  
A part of this, a part of you  
And now it's all too late so you see  
You could've helped if you had wanted to  
But no one notices until it's too  
Late to do anything

Thatvery uncomfortable and very unwelcome feeling of guilt shot through his body once more and Derek began pondering why he was even so cruel to her in the first place. Sure she had barged into his life uninvited and made it a challenge but didn't he like to be challenged? She had made everything so damn organized and neat but wasn't it nice know where the toothpaste was for a change? And lastly, she had dated his best friend but was it really even his choice who Sam dated, even if it was his klutzy stepsister? No, Derek thought, it wasn't that at all. It was the fact that she was Casey, beautiful, challenging, organized, prim and proper Casey Macdonald, and he couldn't have her. Ever.

And why should he want her at all? She was his stepsister first of all. She was a grade grubber to boot. She was extremely clumsy and very overdramatic. She always acted like a Princess. She cried during every sappy movie he was forced to watch on the Macdonald girls' movie nights. Not only that but she was his arch nemesis and well, she was Casey for Christ's sake! She wasn't his type, not at all, or so he tried to convince himself.

**So how can I ever try to be better?  
Nobody ever lets me in  
I can still see you, this ain't the best view  
On the outside looking in  
I've been a lot of places  
I've never been on the outside**

The thought of apologizing came to his mind once more and this time it wasn't as easily shot down. Maybe he should, Derek thought, it might make her feel a little bit better knowing there was a heart in Derek Venturi after all. Or maybe he shouldn't, seeing as it could probably just make things a lot worse. He could picture it now.

He would walk to her room, knock maybe once or twice, and if she didn't answer he would just barge in and say, "I'm so sorry Case for making you feel oh so bad in your time of residence in my home." She, being the forgiving girl she was, would say something like "Oh it is okay Der, I forgive you whole heartedly." NOT. She would slam the door in his face but not after she smacked him for being such an "insensitive jerk".

Derek sighed and rolled off his bed, it was worth a shot right?

So how can I ever try to be better?  
Nobody ever lets me in  
I can still see you, this ain't the best view  
On the outside looking in  
I've been a lot of lonely places  
I've never been on the outside

Derek walked the few feet to her door, making sure he made no noise whatsoever. He raised his hand to knock before his second thoughts got the best of him and his hand stilled in midair. Why again was he doing this? Because of a small attack of a barely there conscience?

Maybe he wasn't ready to give in and be a nice guy or tell her he was sorry. Because he was sorry, he was dreadfully sorry he had ever made her feel so low, especially since he knew why he did the things he did. His hand dropped back to his side but he didn't back away. He simply stood there thinking. Maybe he just wasn't ready to give in to what his conscience was telling him to do.

_Not only tell her your sorry about tonight, tell her the whole story, tell her **everything**_.

His hand came back up into a ball, ready to knock but something kept tugging at his insides. What if she didn't except the apology? Was he ready to face Casey?

**A/N :Well there it is!!! The first chapter and I hope not the last!! Please review!! I would really love to hear your thoughts!! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** _Here is the second chapter!! Please forgive me I am not the best author out there!! Please read and review!! Dedicated to the one and only Inulover4eva!!_

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Life With Derek but I wish I did!!_

**Stay Beautiful**

A soft knock on the door caused Casey to snap out of her dreamless sleep. She hugged her pillow tighter, thinking that maybe if she didn't answer then whoever it was on the other side of the door would take the hint and leave her be. It was probably her mother or Lizzie coming to see if she wanted to talk about it, in which she really didn't, so she continued to lay there in silence, praying for them to give up.

Unfortunately, whoever had come to call was relentless and knocked once more before she could hear the doorknob turning. She sighed in defeat and turned to face the unwanted visitor. Casey wasn't at all surprised to see a very cautious Lizzie slowly approaching her bed. She slowly sat up and patted the vacant spot next to her. Lizzie took no time to hop onto the bed next to her sister.

"Are you okay, Case? I mean really, are you?"

Casey just sat there silent for a moment, pondering Lizzie's question. Was she okay? Really okay? She almost rolled her eyes at that, of course she wasn't. She was tired of feeling like an outsider in her own house. Well it wasn't really her house as Derek so kindly pointed out to her not long ago. It was _his_ house and Casey knew that whatever or whoever was connected to Derek she wasn't allowed to touch or be a part of. Her eyes stung with a new batch of tears but she managed to hold them at bay as her sister rubbed her arms in comfort. She hadn't even heard anything Lizzie had been saying.

"… And it will be okay, Casey."

"Yeah Liz, you're totally right. I am just being way too sensitive, and it is just Derek after all." Casey managed to put on a fake smile and Lizzie seemed to accept it. Usually Lizzie always knew when something wasn't right with Casey, but lately, she had been slacking on the job. Casey inwardly thanked God for that because she wasn't sure if she could tell her younger sister the truth and what was really going on...

_"Oh Liz, I'm just so terribly heartbroken because my stepbrother hurts my feelings all the time and I just can't take it any longer."_

_Lizzie would take Casey's hand and say, "That bad brother of ours! I shall go immediately to set him straight!"_

Casey almost laughed out loud at that very absurd and very unlikely scenario, but instead she just rested her head atop of Lizzie's and they sat in comfortable silence for what seemed like hours.

"Hey Casey, I think I'm gonna go back to bed." Lizzie managed to say in between yawns. She slipped lazily out of Casey's arms. Before she completely disappeared from sight Casey managed to hear Lizzie say,

" I'm glad you don't take Derek too seriously. He just likes getting a rise out of you."

With that said, Casey swore she could've cried again. Just get a rise out of her? Is that all Lizzie thought it was? No, Casey thought sadly, Derek completely despises me for "intentionally" ruining his once very perfect life. It wasn't like she had wanted to either. She flipped back onto her side, with her back yet again facing the open doorway, letting the tears stream down her cold stained cheeks as she cuddled deeper into the warmth of her blanket.

What had she done that made him hate her anyways? She always managed to save him when he was in a tight spot. She broke up with his best friend in hopes of lightening the animosity. She had even stopped calling him a disgusting pig for playing the degrading game Baberaider. So obviously, Derek just detested her for being alive and breathing the same air as he.

Although her heart was still heavy as iron, her crying had seemed to slow and her breathing was becoming normal. As she continued to lay there, she just couldn't shake the feeling of being angry with herself for ever believing that if she changed something about herself, maybe Derek would accept her, be civil towards her, maybe even _like_ her?

Casey frowned at the idea. Derek liking her? That would have to be a miracle all in itself. She sat up and walked to her desk. Maybe writing down all her frustrations in her journal would help. Casey wasn't really in the mood to write, she was too caught up in thinking that Derek really did just loathe her and really did want her out of his house. Out of his hair. Out of his life.

She decided that there was only one way to find out so Casey slowly rose from her desk and began to make the journey to Derek's bedroom. She wasn't sure where this sudden wave of self-assurance had come from, and she didn't really care, she just had to know the truth. Casey softly padded her way across the dark hallway and stopped at his door.

She stood in silence, mentally debating the pros and cons of the situation. Her hand came up into a fist but it sat as if frozen in the air.

* * *

Derek continued to pace in his bedroom. Why couldn't he just go in there and apologize? He had made it as far as walking the entire three feet to her bedroom door, so why hadn't he taken the chance and go inside? He fell back onto his bed and tried to rid the air of that annoying little cricket he could swear he saw dancing around his head. 

His guilt was beginning to give him a migraine and if he didn't just go tell her now then he might as well suffer the rest of his life wondering what would have happened if he had been honest with her. It wasn't apologizing to Casey that had made it that difficult. In fact he could burst in there right now and throw an "I'm sorry" at her then leave without another thought. No, it wasn't apologizing to her that made him so uneasy and tense, it was the aspect of telling her **everything **that scared Derek right out of his mind.

Just then he was thrown out of his thoughts by a soft knock at his door. He sat up and stared at the doorknob. Who would come talk to him at this time of night? It could be his dad coming to lecture him, then Derek remember hearing the obnoxious snoring he heard as he made his way upstairs earlier that night. Another knock sounded and he stood and made his way to the door. Hesitantly he grasped the doorknob, not wanting it to be Casey but at the same time he was hoping it was.

When he opened it there was no one to be seen. Derek stuck his head out to look down the hall and then across, noticing Casey's door wide open. He stood there half confused, wondering if he should. He mentally fought with himself before he finally made his decision and crossed the hallway.

Derek peeked into Casey's room to find her sitting at her desk wrapped up in her blanket as she searched through a few cds. He wasn't sure if she had noticed him there or not so he knocked twice on the doorframe to gain her attention. Casey immediately froze and dropped most of the cds as she turned to face him.

"Um, did you knock?" Derek realized just how stupid it sounded as it left his mouth. Of course she knocked, he thought, she is the only one awake. She just nodded and sat there waiting for him to say something else, expecting him to say something _more_.

* * *

**A/N: There you have it!! Chapter 2!! I hope you liked it!! Please review!!! Next chapter will be longer I PROMISE!! **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry for not updating quickly!! Here is chapter three!! I hope you guys like it!! Thank you for all the great reviews so far!! Dedicated to the ONE and ONLY Inulover4eva!! You are the greatest!! **

**Disclaimer: Still dont own Life With Derek!! **

**

* * *

**

**Stay Beautiful**

Casey just sat there at her desk, bemused and a little embarrassed. She hadn't thought he might actually come to talk to her. He was Derek Venturi after all, and Venturis never want to just talk. They have reasons or ulterior motives for coming to call on someone. And Derek was a Venturi, and a damn good one at that. With that thought, Casey averted her gaze to the ground as he stood in her doorway. Why had she knocked on his door again?

"Well?"

Casey looked up at him with an all too familiar feeling of fear. She knew he was rude, she knew what to expect. So why did a curt "Well?" have to cause her to clam up? Casey wasn't sure what to say. His body hadn't made a single centimeter. He simply stood there, his eyes held that same unwelcoming glare they had the very first day she walked through the door.

"I was, well I just wanted to ask you something." Casey inwardly winced, she knew how weak she had just sounded. It was very un-Casey like to be weak to anyone, especially Derek. But lately she had grown rather tired of fighting back. It just wasn't worth it anymore. She thought if she stopped fighting him then he would stop torturing her.

"Well ask me then, it's 3:30 already, I seriously doubt I would like to spend all night standing in _your _doorway."

Casey could feel her cheeks positively burning from the sudden anger. She was about to tell Derek **everything **and his hateful tongue had to go and screw it up. She stood from her desk, on the verge of tears. "It doesn't even matter anymore you jerk! Just _leave_…"

The last word didn't come out as viciously as she had hoped. Instead it came out as a somber whisper. Derek just stood there, his facial expressions hadn't changed, not _once_. They were as uncaring and nonchalant as they were when he first came in. Casey turned to face her mirror. She didn't want to look at him anymore. She didn't want him to see her cry because of what he said, because of _him_.

She watched as he shrugged his shoulders and turned to walk away. He was going to just walk away and that was it, huh? That _was_ it. Casey _snapped._

"Damnit Derek!!" She screamed and ran after him.

* * *

Derek spun around just in time to see a charging Casey with angry tears flowing down her cheeks coming straight for him.

"Whoa, Casey…CALM DOWN!" Derek threw his hands in front of him to stop Casey's now flailing fists from coming into contact with his face. He managed to back up into his room but to no avail. She kept punching at him and took every opening she saw, all the while crying and screaming at him.

"Derek! You bastard...all you care…about is…YOU!!!" Casey managed to shriek between punches.

Derek wasn't sure what had triggered this little rampage but he knew that he was on the losing end. As her punches bounced off his arms and chest, Derek had managed to back into his poster-covered wall. Why weren't the parents charging up the stairs right now?

"Casey! What the fuck…STOP!" Derek lowered his hands in attempt to grab her wrists and looked up just in time to see the petite little fist coming straight for his right eye.

Derek staggered back and just stared at her. She was visibly shaking and practically drowning her cheeks with tears. He watched through one eye as she shrunk in size as she fell to the messy floor, clutching at the blanket edge of his bed. Sure he was angry that his eye and his arms hurt like crazy but for some reason his anger was not directed at her for once. It was at himself. Derek slid down his wall and rested his tired arms on his knees. He wasn't sure what to say to Casey at this point. What a great way to start of an apology.

_"Yeah, um, excuse me but you just punched the shit out of me but I am so sorry for making you feel unwelcome in my home."_

Her screaming sobs pierced the air once more and Derek was pulled from his thoughts. As he gazed at her hunched form, he couldn't help but feel it. Guilt. She had finally broke, all these months of torment and Derek's stupid little mission was a success. He had finally pushed her over the edge. She had finally surrendered to his will. He didn't feel great or accomplished like he thought he would. He didn't feel like he deserved a damn brownie button or a Medal either. He felt horrible. He felt guilty. He felt like a complete asshole. He had managed to successfully hurt prissy, preppy, always perfect Casey Macdonald. It was then he was able to admit it to himself. It was then he felt he was able to come clean and tell her what he had intended to tell her not but a few hours ago.

"Case-" Derek started but was cut off by his father's voice.

"Derek, Casey. What the fu- heck is going on up here?!" Derek looked up to see his dad and Nora clad in their matching flannel pajamas, both wearing the same worried expressions. He turned to see Casey loosen her grip on his blanket and look up at her mother who immediately kneeled at her sniffling daughter's side.

"Oh Casey honey, what happened? Derek, what happened to your eye?" Nora looked in between the two and then up at her husband. George was still staring at his son with an unreadable expression. This was the worst they had seen it and Nora feared it could only get worse if the two continued on like this.

Derek watched silently as Casey was lifted up and guided to her room. He faintly heard Nora telling Casey to lay down and continued to strain his ears in hopes of hearing Casey speak. Unfortunately his dad screwed that up.

"Derek what are we going to have to do with you two? Send Casey to live with her father? What is the problem with not wanting to pick a fight with her?" Derek didn't once look up to meet his father's eyes. If only he knew why Derek really picked fights with Casey, if only he knew everything. Derek almost shouted in disagreement when his dad brought up Casey leaving but continued to stare sullenly at his hands. His father started to slightly pace and Derek could almost hear him talking. He was too in tuned to the hushed noises coming from the room across the hall.

"Look Derek, I'm sorry you disapproved or disapprove of my marriage to Nora and divorcing your mother but if singling Casey out is your way of solving your little pity party problem then you've got a lot coming to you Derek Venturi."

Derek could hear Casey start to cry again and his chest once again filled with guilt and regret. If feeling like this was having a conscience all the time then Derek was not disappointed. He watched as his father muttered a few final words along the lines of "Grounded" and "Disappointing" and turned on his heels to join Nora in Casey's room.

Derek grabbed a random object off the floor and chunked it at the wall. He glanced at his blanket where Casey had been clasping it to her heaving chest. Where was that damn Jeremy or Jimmy or whatever Cricket when you needed him?

He sat there silently with his blanket clutched to his chest where it had been resting on Casey's and waited for the sound of the two parents retreating back downstairs.

As soon as he heard their footsteps descend the stairs he slowly stood with a new mission in mind. This time nothing and no one was going to stand in his way of saying what needed to be said. He would be sure of that.

* * *

**A/N: That was chapter three!! I hope you enjoyed it!! Please review!! Im sorry for taking so long to update!! Maybe if I get alot of motivation hint hint I will update quicker!! **


	4. Author's Note

**TO ALL THE FABULOUS READERS AND REVIEWERS!!**

I simply love all of you!! I am sooo glad that you guys actually like my story!! Sadly, I have to say I will not be able to update for Stay Beautiful due to Thanksgiving plans!! I am going out of town with NO or Limited Computer access (You can thank my stepmother for that one) and I won't be able to update until this Sunday!! I LOVE ALL YOU GUYS!! Your reviews mean the world to me!!

Here is a preview for you lovely people!!! P.S. I LOVE YOU INULOVER4EVA YOU ROCK!!

"Look! I said I AM SORRY!! What else do you want me to do?" Derek just stared at her. He was getting rather fed up with her games. Why didn't she just tell him what she wanted to hear? He would say it without even thinking twice. He grasped the doorknob and slowly inched it shut.

"_What the hell did I ever do to you Derek?" Casey replied, barely audible. She now sat up to look Derek straight in the eye. This time when she looked into his eyes, she could no longer see the uncaring nothingness they usually held, this time she saw something else. _

**Until next time, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!**


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Okay I know it's been a very long time since I have updated, I AM SOOO SORRY!! But there has been a lot of things going on right now and I could never find a chance to sit down and write this out!! AGAIN I AM VERY SORRY! I won't take this long next time I promise!**

**Cass aka Inulover4eva, I just want to say I love love love you for being such a great friend through everything that is happening right now and thank you so much!! You truly are the best!! **

**I used the song "Cold As You" again by Taylor Swift, hope you like it! Please review!! It would mean the world to me if you did! Im sorry if this isnt that good. I havent written in a while and this is not my greatest work!**

**Disclaimer: I still do not own Life with Derek**

* * *

**Stay Beautiful**

Casey lay there limp in her bed, cold and trembling although she was cuddled up in her blanket. She couldn't find the strength to get up and go back in there like she so wanted to do. She wasn't sure what it was she was planning on saying to Derek but she just needed to. She needed something more from him. She clutched her soaked blanket up to her chest tightly as a new melody filled the air.

**You have a way of coming easily to me.  
And when you take, you take the very best of me.  
So I start a fight 'cause I need to feel somethin'  
And you do what you want 'cause I'm not what you wanted.**

New tears threatened to spill over as the lyrics set in. Casey hadn't wanted the night to end this way, but it had and now she was once again alone in her room dealing with the aftermath of Derek's indifference towards her. Casey blinked in a vain attempt to stop the tears from winning.

What was it that made Derek act that way? She gave of herself everyday, in attempt to win herself into his good graces but still he remained the charming old Derek he always was. Casey frowned, she should have known better. He would never see her as anything more than his evil stepsister. Nothing more than the sole person he hates more than life itself.

**You put up walls and paint them all a shade of gray  
And I stood there loving you and wished them all away  
And you come away with a great little story  
Of a mess of a dreamer with the nerve to adore you**

Casey hadn't meant to let Derek win so effortlessly. In fact, her mission had to be break down his defenses and win his trust by consistently being there to keep him out of trouble. But instead all her efforts had caused him to resent her even more. Casey felt a chill run throughout her entire body and cuddled deeper into her blanket as if it could protect her from the weight of the world or from Derek. Her mind drifted aimlessly back to the earlier events this morning.

"_Well?"_

"_I was, well I just wanted to ask you something." _

"_Well ask me then, it's 3:30 already, I seriously doubt I would like to spend all night standing in your doorway."_

One short sentence had caused the final string she had been clutching to snap. Derek had finally succeeded in hurting her. He had finally won. He had proved himself right. **What Derek wants, Derek gets. **Casey sighed sullenly, and he got it. When had she become so weak? When had Casey Macdonald become so submissive to someone else's demands?

**Oh, what a shame.  
What a rainy ending given to a perfect day.  
Just walk away, no use defending words that you will never say.  
And now that I'm sittin' here thinkin' it through, I've never been anywhere cold as you.**

Casey had never met anyone as cold or uncaring as Derek. Of course, Casey thought, he loved his family, his family being George, Edwin and Marti. He was even civil towards her mother and Lizzie. But Casey would never be a part of that. Not if Derek could help it. Just as Casey began to let her eyelids close she heard a throat being cleared from the doorway.

* * *

Derek could almost feel the guilt tugging at his insides as Casey's tear stained face peered up at him from her spot on her bed. _No Derek, don't leave. Don't walk away without saying anything._ Damn this conscience thing.

"Hey," He cleared his throat once more and tried to find something to rest his gaze on besides Casey. Just seeing her sitting there so timid and unsure made him almost second guess his motives. "I just wanted to see how you were."

Casey sat up cautiously and didn't respond. This had to be a trick. Derek would never just want to see how she was. Suspicion started to creep into her subconscious, internally warning her to put up the familiar iron bars up. She sat motionless in her bed, watching as Derek started to shift uneasily on his feet.

"Casey, can we talk?" Derek averted his gaze to the ground at how un-Derek like that must have sounded. He couldn't help but think she was smirking victoriously as he desperately tried to find a way to start this little apology.

Casey simply nodded, amused if not a little puzzled at Derek's unusual coy behavior. He glanced at the empty space on her bed and gave Casey a meaningful look. She nodded once again and Derek slowly made his way to her bed and slumped down to look her in the eye.

"Look, Casey. I know I haven't exactly been very…_nice_ to you since you moved in here." Casey snorted ungracefully from her spot in the bed but Derek continued on. "I know I haven't made it any easier on you and well, I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm sorry."

As those last words left his lips he turned to stare at a spot on Casey's wall. He wasn't sure what to expect from her but guilt was still eating him alive. _Now tell her **everything.**_

"Aren't you going to say anything?"

Casey was thrown from her thoughts to find Derek had shifted to face her once again. What was she supposed to say? That it was okay? That it wasn't a big deal?

"I don't know what to say to you Derek, it's not like saying sorry once can just magically fix everything."

Derek's head snapped up in sudden irritation. "I never said that it did Casey, but I am sorry."

She shifted uncomfortably under her blanket. His eyes were starting to grow cold once more, that familiar uncaring glare started to fill them. The room fell into silence once more and the only thing that could be heard was the low hum of forgotten music.

Casey started to fidget under his unreadable gaze. She had waited for this moment to come but couldn't understand why she couldn't say anything. Derek had come to _her_ to apologize to _her_ and she couldn't understand why it felt empty. It felt as though there were too many words he was leaving unsaid.

"Sometimes sorry doesn't cut it." Casey hadn't intended for the words to come out as spiteful as they did but she didn't mind noticing the evident change in Derek's eyes. There was something there she had never seen before. It was almost a foreign emotion yet it seemed so familiar. "Sometimes you just might hurt someone so much that even a million apologies can't repair the damage done. "

"Well then what do you suggest I do then? Bend down and kiss your feet?" Derek wasn't really into the whole groveling thing. He wasn't about to begin now. Derek stood quickly from her bed but just as quick he rounded on her. In a dangerous whisper, he continued, "Would that make you happy, Casey?"

She suddenly leapt from her bed to stand face to face with him. "How dare you! How could I have even thought that maybe just maybe you could possibly have something of some importance to say to me?"

Both of them stood in silent anger. Both of them shaken and ready to give up on the whole situation and just walk away from it as usual and go on as if nothing happened. Then his dad's words slowly came back to him. _"Derek what are we going to have to do with you two? Send Casey to live with her father? What is the problem with not wanting to pick a fight with her?"_

Desperation filled him once more. He was willing to say or do anything that didn't involve him telling her the truth.

"I said I AM SORRY!! What else do you want me to do?" Derek just stared at her. He was getting rather fed up with her games. Why didn't she just tell him what she wanted to hear come from him? He would say it without even thinking twice. Derek managed to back into the door and slowly inched it shut.

"What the hell did I ever do to you Derek?" Casey replied, barely audible. She wasn't sure what to say to him at this point but this time when she looked into his eyes, she could no longer see the uncaring nothingness they usually held, this time she saw something else. _Something more. _

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**A/N: There is chapter 4! Remember, not my best work but I still hope you review!! Sorry again for the horribly long wait! Just another chapter or two and it should be completed and I will post a one shot that I started to work on! **

**Oh and you better be sure to go read Inulover4eva's newest creation All She Can Do!! She has done it once again!! **


	6. Sorry Guys

**Hey there it's Hannah,**

**I bet you thought I was died or fell off the face of the earth!**

**I just want to say I am dreadfully sorry for never updating but it's been a rough couple of months and I can never truly find time to sit down and write something out, and now it might be an even longer wait for me to update anything because something else has now come up….just my luck.**

**So just writing to say sorry and hope to update as soon as I can and keep writing those wonderful fics!**

**Thanks Cassandra for being there**


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